Toshiba Portege/Satellite Z830

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(Image Credit: Toshiba)

 
   The Toshiba Portege and Satellite line have been thoroughly successful in the eyes of many reviewers. Will the Z830 and Z835 models follow through with it's predecessor's success? Sporting an all magnesium alloy chassis with a honeycomb structure for rigidity ensures that this'll literally be one tough ultrabook. Top that off with an excellent spill-proof keyboard, a large trackpad, and a vibrant screen and you've got a serious contender to be #1 Ultrabook in town. Not too many of the announced Ultrabooks have spill-proof backlit keyboards. 

Screen: 13.3 inch LED Backlit
Resolution: 1366 x 768
Processor: 2nd gen Intel Core i3, i5, i7
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000
Storage: 128GB SSD (Possibly 256 SSD option)
Memory: Up to 6GB DDR3
Battery: 4-6 Hours Active (47 Wh)
Webcam: 1.3 MP
Port: [1] USB 3.0, [2] USB 2.0, [1] HDMI, [1] VGA out
OS: Windows 7
Height: 0.63 inch
Weight: 2.5 lbs
Optical Drive: None
Backlit Keyboard: Yes
Spill-Resistant Keyboard: Yes


Other Information:

• Fingerprint Reader Option
• Magnesium allow chassis with honeycomb structure for strength
• Only difference between the Portege and Satellite model is the capability of Portege upgrading to Windows 7 Professional.

Price: Starting at less than $1000
Availability: November 2011

Samsung Series 7 Chronos

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   Quite possibly the most attractive laptop I've ever seen, Samsung's Series 7 should be commended for great appeal. It's flat, sleek, and the brushed aluminum radiates cool. The keys are backlit with a full sized numpad. It's touchpad is large a-la MacBook Pro, which isn't such a bad thing. Samsung even threw in a nice bonus with the matted, super-slim bezel screen. Add in two USB 3.0 ports and ExpressCache? This is one fantastic sounding laptop. We'll have to wait and see when it actually releases whether or not it follows through with expectations. 


Screen: 14-15.6 inch
Resolution: 1600 x 900
Processor: Intel Core i7 @ 2.2 GHz
Graphics: AMD Radeon ™ 6750 1GB
Storage: 750GB w/ Express Cache (Auxiliary 8GB SSD)
Memory: 8GB DDR3
Battery: 8 Hours Active
Webcam: 1.3 MP
Ports: [2] Headphone/Mic, [2] USB 3.0, [1] USB 2.0, [1] HDMI, [1] Multi Card Slot (SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC), [1] RJ45 (Lan)
OS: Windows 7
Height: 23.87 mm
Weight: 5.05 lbs
Optical Drive: Integrated DVD reader/writer
Backlit Keyboard: Yes
Spill-Resistant Keyboard: No

Other Information:

• Aluminum allow chassis
• Express Cache Technology from Samsung
• Fast Start Technology from Samsung enables auxiliary SSD to cold boot in 19 seconds.
• PowerPlus claims to prolong battery life capacity up to 80% for 1,500 charges. 

Price: Starting at $1099.99

Availability: November 2011

(All images on page credit: Samsung)

Lenovo U400

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   Lenovo's U series has a business air about them. Briefcase-esque and not afraid to show it, these are definitely one of the cooler looking ultrabooks around. These ultraflat laptops superb keyboards with slightly curved keys that make them easy to capture. Starting at about $1199, it's priced competitively against the MacBook Air, although this lead quickly trails off for a "preferred" build of the U series. 




Screen Size: 14 inch
Resolution: 1366 x 768
Processor: Intel Core i3 @ 2.2 GHz, Intel Core i5 @ 2.4 GHz, or Intel Core i7 @ 2.7 GHz
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000 & AMD Radeon™ HD6470 1GB
Storage: Up to 1TB HDD or up to 256GB SSD
Memory: 4GB DDR3
Battery: 6 Hours Active, 30 Days Standby
Webcam: 1.3 MP
Ports: [1] Headphone, [1] USB 3.0, [2] USB 2.0, [1] HDMI, [1] Mic
OS: Windows 7
Height: 22.6 mm
Weight: 4.36 lbs
Optical Drive: Integrated DVD reader/writer
Backlit Keyboard: No
Spill-Resistant Keyboard: No


Other Information:

• Aluminum allow chassis

Price: Starting at $1099

Availability: Purchasable Now, Released October 2011.

(All Image on Page Credit: Lenovo)

Lenovo U300S

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(Image Credit: Lenovo)

   
   Lenovo's U series has a business air about them. Briefcase-esque and not afraid to show it, these are definitely one of the cooler looking ultrabooks around. These ultraflat laptops superb keyboards with slightly curved keys that make them easy to capture. Starting at about $1199, it's priced competitively against the MacBook Air, although this lead quickly trails off for a "preferred" build of the U series. 




Screen Size: 13.3 inch
Resolution: 1366 x 768
Processor: Intel Core i7 @ 2.7 GHz
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000
Storage: Up to 1TB HDD or up to 256GB SSD
Memory: 4GB DDR3
Battery: 6 Hours Active, 30 Days Standby
Webcam: 1.3 MP
Ports: [1] Headphone, [1] USB 3.0, [2] USB 2.0, [1] HDMI, [1] Mic
OS: Windows 7
Height: 18.3 mm
Weight: 3.48 lbs
Optical Drive: None
Backlit Keyboard: No
Spill-Resistant keyboard: No

Other Information:

• Aluminum allow chassis

Price: Starting at $1199

Availability: November 2011

Asus Zenbook UX31

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(Image Credit: Asus)

   The Zenbook offers a different take on the Ultrabook design with its unique wedged shape. Starting at 9 mm at it's rear and tapering down to 3 mm at the front, it's one of the slimmest rigs anywhere. From outside to in, the Zenbook warrants quality with its all-aluminum chassis. The keyboard are chiclet and beautifully arranged. While the trackpad looks fantastic, it does have issues but what trackpad out there is perfect? Overall the ASUS Zenbook could quite possibly be the most aesthetically pleasing notebook out to date. 




Screen Size: 13.3, LED Backlight

Resolution: 1600 x 900
Processor: Intel Core i5 @ 1.7 GHz
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000
Storage: 128GB SSD or 256GB SSD
Memory: 4GB DDR3 @ 1333 MHz
Battery: 7 Hours Active, 10 Days Standby
Webcam: 0.3 MP VGA
Ports: [1] Headphone-out/in Jack, [1] USB 3.0, [1] USB 2.0, [1] Micro HDMI, [1] Mini VGA
OS: Windows 7
Height: 9 mm at rear and 3 mm at front
Weight: 2.86 lbs
Optical Drive: None
Backlit Keyboard: No
Spill-Resistant Keyboard: No

Other Information:

• Aluminum allow chassis

Price: Starting at $1099
Availability: Purchasable Now, Released October 2011.

Acer Aspire S3

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(Image Credit: Acer)

   Acer Aspire S3 is one of the first ultrabooks to retail and is one of the most affordable. The Aspire S3 has an aluminum-magnesium alloy lid while a grey-plastic material envelops the rest of it's body - no doubt contributing to it's lower price. Possibly even more of a price reducer is the HDD-SSD hybrid solution that Acer's built into its rig (320GB HDD and 20GB SSD for caching only). Overall when I saw this laptop at Fry's Electronics in person I wasn't all that impressed. It's cheaper than the competitors and you can see that, but not to a degree that I wouldn't recommend this laptop to anyone. It's a travel companion PC, and looks mighty fine doing just that.




Screen Size: 13.3 inches, LED Backlight
Resolution: 1366 x 768
Processor: Intel Core i5 @ 1.66 GHz
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000
Storage: 320GB HDD with 20GB SSD.
Memory: 4GB DDR3 @ 1066 MHz
Battery: 6 Hours Active, 50 Days Standby
Webcam: 1.3 MP
Ports: [2] USB 2.0, [1] HDMI, [1] SD Card Reader
OS: Windows 7
Height: 0.68 Inch

Weight: 2.98 lbs
Optical Drive: None
Backlit Keyboard: No
Spill-Resistant Keyboard: No

Other Information:

• Aluminum-Magnesium allow chassis

Price: Starting at $899.99
Availability: Purchasable Now, Released October 2011.